Lights out scenerio..........what happens to the criminals in jail/prison?

[sapper77]

The grid goes down, what happens to the criminals locked up? I couldn't imagine they would let everyone go once they realized the power wasn't coming back on anytime soon. Do you think corrections officers and the people in charge would just walk and let them fend for themselves behind bars?

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[deadeye]

Generators ring a bell?

 

[sapper77]

Generators ring a bell?

I'm talking about a scenerio that would take place over several years or indefinetely. Fuel runs out, no more power, then what.................................

 

[erudne]

In 1999 for the Y2K issue of a prisons mag. (Correctional Mgt rag) I wrote for
the Big Question was: "What if the doors do not open?"
"Well the FD and EMTs Must by state law be called in to open the doors!"
Anyone see where this leads to?
Kali has been dumping perps for decades but the most recent dump was 40,000 'minor offenders'.
In Kali, minor offenders are not even arrested, the entire state is a mass of offenders, real and imagined by TPTB, a total dystopia of epic proportions

 

[DieselScout]

I'm talking about a scenerio that would take place over several years or indefinetely. Fuel runs out, no more power, then what.................................

They would walk away or not even show up. If the situation is that dire they are going to be looking out for them and thiers not caring about the dirt behind bars.

 

[erudne]

They would walk away or not even show up. If the situation is that dire they are going to be looking our for them and Thiers not caring about the dirt behind bars.

"Keep your friends close" Keep your family alive and healthy. Keep your enemies,,,buried

 

[deadeye]

I'm talking about a scenerio that would take place over several years or indefinetely. Fuel runs out, no more power, then what.................................

At that point there would be martial law and all the available fuel and food would be held by the government. Most likely the jails would be overflowing with newly added prisoners/dissidents , anything electronic converted to manual like it used to be. The prisoners would go back to doing labor like growing their own/guards food and similar tasks. You don't need power just some well placed guard towers with a wide range of view to drop an escapee.

 

[coastal steelheader]

They would walk away or not even show up. If the situation is that dire they are going to be looking out for them and thiers not caring about the dirt behind bars.

If its a Lights Out situation, the CO's would probably be used on roadblocks or helping maintain security for the local PTB. I just can't imagine much needed resources being wasted in prisons or on prisoners.

 

[44 Guy]

They would walk away or not even show up. If the situation is that dire they are going to be looking out for them and thiers not caring about the dirt behind bars.

What he said. Always remember - Family First!!
This from a CO!!!

 

[ATCclears]

Survivors (2008 TV series) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This BBC series touched on that issue. Most prisoners were dead in a prison, someone came along later and let out with a survivor, and the survivor joins up with the core group.

Peter

 

[Sgt Nambu]

Weld shut the door mechanisms. Go have a beer.

 

[RBid]

They would walk away or not even show up. If the situation is that dire they are going to be looking out for them and thiers not caring about the dirt behind bars.

This is probably the most realistic answer. Lots of deaths to dehydration and starvation. Maybe sanitation related deaths, as people drink toilet water to stay alive awhile longer.

Part of the answer lies in what was happening at the time when everything came to a halt. Anyone in a yard is likely to figure out how to get out, once they realize they are free to do so.

 

[ZA_Survivalist]

Locked in. Forget about them.

 

[unklekippy]

This is probably the most realistic answer. Lots of deaths to dehydration and starvation. Maybe sanitation related deaths, as people drink toilet water to stay alive awhile longer.

Part of the answer lies in what was happening at the time when everything came to a halt. Anyone in a yard is likely to figure out how to get out, once they realize they are free to do so.

I think your assessment is pretty spot on. I know it is fiction, but The Walking Dead TV series and comic book both gave examples of it. In the books, there are 4(if memory serves) prisoners in the prison the group comes upon. They were locked in the cafeteria and had stores of food and had been relieving themselves in a walk-in refrigerator. The TV series is nowhere near as graphic and depressing as the books, but had the same basic story. In both cases, 4 out of presumably thousands of inmates survived. I imagine your exact location within the prison at the time would have a lot to do with the outcome. I think I'd rather take a bullet(or zombie, I guess) than starve or dehydrate to death.

In the end, I can't imagine anyone giving two bubblegums about felons in a scenario where the lights are out and folks are fending for themselves. I sure wouldn't blame the prisoners for doing whatever they had to do, either.

Imagine being trapped in your cell when whatever disaster strikes and outside is a case of Ramen or whatever food/water. As you die the food or water just sit there. Maybe you get to watch some animal gorge himself to death, literally exploding from within from too much food, while you ironically starve to death. Another reason to stay out of prison, kids!

 

[slingshot1943]

Surely there would be some relatives over there with cutting torches.

 

[cookie]

Well if you are paying attention the government is letting them out little by little. Just like NAZI Germany did so we will ask for stronger government to protect us from the evil they loosed upon us.

 

[cascadianliberty2012]

Release the nonviolent, leave the raping, murdering, childmolesting scum in there to die.

 

[RBid]

Another reason to stay out of prison, kids!

In the immortal words of two rappers people cared about for about 15 seconds, "WHOOP! THERE IT IS!"

 

[Riot]

The grid goes down, what happens to the criminals locked up? I couldn't imagine they would let everyone go once they realized the power wasn't coming back on anytime soon. Do you think corrections officers and the people in charge would just walk and let them fend for themselves behind bars?

Now that the peanut gallery has responded, let me tell you what will actually happen from someone that actually works inside the walls...

Most cell doors have manual back-ups to be able to open the cell doors in case of emergencies (i.e. Earthquake, fire, flood) that can be opened without power. Even after the generators run dry, there are redundant backups. The main problem is supplies...if the fuel stops being stocked for the generators and the cold meals run out, then we'll have to relocate the offenders to another facility that can accomidate them.

Hypothetically, if an event occurred that took out power and started to collapse society- what makes anyone think officers will even come to work?

Lastly, I've played this very scenario past many offenders. Some claim that family members will be breaking them out in the event of a collase scenario. Another issue (that many people don't realize) is that some of the custody levels don't have secured cells. For example, many minimum/long-term minimum (MI3) inmates cannot be locked in their cells because there is no lock. Someone (in all their infamous wisdom) decided to put all the toilets on the outside of the cells.

Just realize that there will be inmates walking the streets in a SHTF scenaio. Even if we locked and left, if other inmates weren't breaking them out then their friends/family probably would be.

*Riot Out*

 

[300zxtt]

There are rules in place in case of shtf type scenarios for prisons, jails, ect....
They will actually be executed if I remember right. Obviously this is for a really bad national type shtf.